Preview — Boy Gets Girl
by Rebecca Gilman

Boy Gets Girl

What is a stalker? And what kind of life can a woman lead when she knows she is being followed, obsessively and perhaps dangerously, by one?

This is the dilemma facing Theresa Bedell, a reporter in New York, in Rebecca Gilman's tensely fascinating new play. When Theresa goes on an awkward blind date with a friend of a friend, she sees no reason to continue the relationship-

What is a stalker? And what kind of life can a woman lead when she knows she is being followed, obsessively and perhaps dangerously, by one?

This is the dilemma facing Theresa Bedell, a reporter in New York, in Rebecca Gilman's tensely fascinating new play. When Theresa goes on an awkward blind date with a friend of a friend, she sees no reason to continue the relationship--but the man, an attractive fellow named Tony, thinks otherwise. While Theresa is at first annoyed yet flattered by his continuing attention, her attitude gradually changes to one of fear and fury when he starts violently to menace her and those around her.

In brilliantly delineating the kind of terror a woman in full control of her life feels when everything around her suddenly seems to be a threat, Gilman probes the dark side of relationships in the 1990s with the rich insight and compelling characterizations that have distinguished her earlier plays and made her one of the most exciting young playwrights working today.

Community Reviews

The problem with this play is that it feels like --- no, scratch that, it doesn't feel like much of anything. It's basically a dressed up version of Gender Studies 101, specifically the theory of the male gaze. Don't get me wrong -- I took and enjoyed Gender Studies 101, and the theory is pretty interesting. But this play is pretty flat, and appears to be written for shock value. I was hoping to find a slim, modern play with a strong female lead written by a female author to teach instead of CatThe problem with this play is that it feels like --- no, scratch that, it doesn't feel like much of anything. It's basically a dressed up version of Gender Studies 101, specifically the theory of the male gaze. Don't get me wrong -- I took and enjoyed Gender Studies 101, and the theory is pretty interesting. But this play is pretty flat, and appears to be written for shock value. I was hoping to find a slim, modern play with a strong female lead written by a female author to teach instead of Catcher in the Rye, but this isn't going to be it....more

A near perfect play about stalking, and more generally, the relations between men and women -- especially how men view women, and women view themselves. Absolutely gripping, and I thought Gilman does a great job of getting into mens' heads. She absolutely nails the men in her play, both good and bad guys. If she had help from a man to write some of the male characters, she got some really good help, and if she didn't have help, she should be a psychiatrist -- she's that spot-on.

Wow. I begrudgingly read this play for a Script Analysis class, but ended up getting sucked in. I enjoyed this so much because it didn't feel like I was reading a play. I usually have difficulty reading plays because the dialogue creates a choppy feeling for me. But this play read like a story, and I appreciate that. I felt like I was in the midst of an episode of Criminal Minds, and my heart was actually racing at some of the more intense parts. I'm not saying this is a revolutionary piece of lWow. I begrudgingly read this play for a Script Analysis class, but ended up getting sucked in. I enjoyed this so much because it didn't feel like I was reading a play. I usually have difficulty reading plays because the dialogue creates a choppy feeling for me. But this play read like a story, and I appreciate that. I felt like I was in the midst of an episode of Criminal Minds, and my heart was actually racing at some of the more intense parts. I'm not saying this is a revolutionary piece of literature, but I got lost in the story in a way I haven't been able to do in a long time, so I think that impacts my feelings about this play a great deal. This got me out of a reading rut. Thank you, Boy Gets Girl....more

This is a very well-done and scary thriller. It has a bit of language but often to the end of making the piece more real and horrifying. The different ways in which people respond to women were also explored and made it a very thought-provoking and disturbing play.

This play really frustrates me. Gilman chooses an incredibly simplistic view of almost everything she purports to address—stalking, the skewed ways in which one gender perceives another, making life changes not by choice. Stalking, in particular, seems to me a *lot* more complicated than this, with much deeper effects on its object (emotional, not concrete—I suppose she gets the extreme of the concrete down pretty well). She could have solved this by developing Tony earlier, allowing them to speThis play really frustrates me. Gilman chooses an incredibly simplistic view of almost everything she purports to address—stalking, the skewed ways in which one gender perceives another, making life changes not by choice. Stalking, in particular, seems to me a *lot* more complicated than this, with much deeper effects on its object (emotional, not concrete—I suppose she gets the extreme of the concrete down pretty well). She could have solved this by developing Tony earlier, allowing them to spend a little more time together before we understood his instability—that would have allowed us to know Theresa as a character rather than a stalked archetype as well. But Gilman is only exploring ideas, and rather uninteresting ones, rather than telling a story.

But she's a pretty good writer of dialogue. Hence the second star....more

Totally took an exciting yet haunting turn from what I first thought to be a straight up comedy. Definitely made me think a lot about rape culture and the current political climate/circus that I'm viewing as a woman. Great play, would love to do it some day!

This was so amazing! I love everything about this play! It's so realistic and important. I've worked on this show a little while ago, so maybe that's part of the reason why I love it so much, but it just covers such important topics in a thought out and touching way that it just has to be good.

I liked the heavy themes of how genders are raised in society, expected to ogle or be ogled. I liked that the main character remained a strong woman, even though she was was a victim of a psychopath's stalking. They'd gone on a blind date and after a few minutes and a polite beer, she decided she never wanted to see him again. Theresa was not an especially attractive character, but enough to keep Tony passionately pursuing her, even when she told him she was no interested. The tone of the stalkiI liked the heavy themes of how genders are raised in society, expected to ogle or be ogled. I liked that the main character remained a strong woman, even though she was was a victim of a psychopath's stalking. They'd gone on a blind date and after a few minutes and a polite beer, she decided she never wanted to see him again. Theresa was not an especially attractive character, but enough to keep Tony passionately pursuing her, even when she told him she was no interested. The tone of the stalking escalates when he threatens her life and enters her office and home uninvited. Theresa's co-workers expounded on the pursuit = passion myth and Theresa's secretary had given her stalker access into the office, out of pity for a lovesick man. Everyone misread his behavior at first, until he crossed the line into psycho. The police couldn't do anything other than suggest she change her identity. I liked the pornographer Theresa interviews for their magazine, Window of the world. The magazine name is what this book offers into the world of social sexual behavior norms and biases. The pronographer was honest in his fondness for breasts. Theresa printed the article without restraint and the subject eventually became a friend. ...more

Okay, so I started reading this play with some great expectations. I had heard that it was great and the mini reviews on the cover made it seem entertaining and thrilling.

The play started out okay, and this just got boring. I was interested more in Theresa's interactions with Tony. It seemed like Gilman got frightened by the idea of showing more of how creepy Tony is. I know it was an artistic choice to have audience imagine what Theresa was reading in Tony's insane notes, but it just left me uOkay, so I started reading this play with some great expectations. I had heard that it was great and the mini reviews on the cover made it seem entertaining and thrilling.

The play started out okay, and this just got boring. I was interested more in Theresa's interactions with Tony. It seemed like Gilman got frightened by the idea of showing more of how creepy Tony is. I know it was an artistic choice to have audience imagine what Theresa was reading in Tony's insane notes, but it just left me unsatisfied.

I wanted something more exciting to happen. The play just seemed so incomplete to me. There was a beginning, a muddy middle and a fast paced end. Which a play needs, but the ending was just so...meh.

I know that a play can't run forever, but something was missing. To me, it seemed like Beck suggesting name changes, etc just came to quickly.

In a world where a man can brag about committing sexual assault and be elected to the highest office in the land, never has a play been more relevant. Boy Gets Girl is the classic tale of romance, where a boy falls for a girl, the girl rejects him, and the boy stalks her for months and threatens her life. As soon as I turned the page, I could tell this play was written by a woman- by someone who has lived the everyday hassle of being in public while presenting female. Every exchange , from disbeIn a world where a man can brag about committing sexual assault and be elected to the highest office in the land, never has a play been more relevant. Boy Gets Girl is the classic tale of romance, where a boy falls for a girl, the girl rejects him, and the boy stalks her for months and threatens her life. As soon as I turned the page, I could tell this play was written by a woman- by someone who has lived the everyday hassle of being in public while presenting female. Every exchange , from disbelief, denial, victim-blaming, and the truly ridiculous and ultimately fruitless recommendations of next steps, rings true. Every man who has called himself a Nice Guy, who has been angered by rejection, who has whistled at a woman on the street, should read this. And every woman who has felt unsafe after a date, who has taken a different route home, who has felt like a thing, (so every woman) should read this play to know they aren't alone. ...more

I loved the 02/03 Canadian Stage production of "Boy Gets Girl" so much that I could still here Eric Peterson's voice in my head when I read Les Kenkatt's lines over ten years later. I mention that because I can't really say if I'm giving four stars to the book itself or to my memory of the text interpreted. I do know the play offers a great mix of tension and humour, all while exploring a tough and thought-provoking topic. It's well worth a read, assuming you can't convince Peterson and friendsI loved the 02/03 Canadian Stage production of "Boy Gets Girl" so much that I could still here Eric Peterson's voice in my head when I read Les Kenkatt's lines over ten years later. I mention that because I can't really say if I'm giving four stars to the book itself or to my memory of the text interpreted. I do know the play offers a great mix of tension and humour, all while exploring a tough and thought-provoking topic. It's well worth a read, assuming you can't convince Peterson and friends to act it out for you....more

I thought the dialogue was great, for the most part. Very natural and easy and believable. She cranks up the tension but still some of it is surprisingly funny, which keeps you a little off-balance, which makes the tension even higher.

But some of the speeches were too heavy-handed. It seemed like we should be able to understand Gilman's point from the events, without having the characters tell us why it's scary and bad that this character is being stalked.

Of course, this is just from reading theI thought the dialogue was great, for the most part. Very natural and easy and believable. She cranks up the tension but still some of it is surprisingly funny, which keeps you a little off-balance, which makes the tension even higher.

But some of the speeches were too heavy-handed. It seemed like we should be able to understand Gilman's point from the events, without having the characters tell us why it's scary and bad that this character is being stalked.

Of course, this is just from reading the script. I'm sure seeing the play performed is a different experience....more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.A cold reading makes the play feel outdated. A good theater company and a good staging can probably find a way around it. It does accurately portray some of the destructive sexual models modern society promotes. I'm not sure how I feel about Les. He is the maker of the myths that tear us all apart, and yet he is forgiven. Because he is old? Because he is sick? Does Tony win in the end? Yes...which is one of the more disappointing parts of the play.

A play dealing with the horrors of stalking. It's very short - I read it in about an hour and a half. Had to read it for school, and many of my classmates made it out to be something to be dreaded, not to be enjoyed. But I am not like them, in more ways than one. I enjoyed it. It's not the best play, obviously. But it's simple enough to understand, while being interesting enough not to want to be put down.

Gilman always laces her plays with debates about modern life and its problematic meanings. Maybe her most interesting use of it comes in this play about casual knowledge and how that translates into objectification of the most violent order. Full of tension and devolving mental strength as an identity is infringed upon.

Overall I enjoyed the writing but I'm not sure a book about stalking is my cup of tea. It was well written but I'm not sure if I exactly liked it or not. Read for my Introduction to World Literature class.

This is a solid play. I liked the premise and the characters (though I still can't get behind liking the interview scenes with Les), the pace was solid, and reads well. I haven't seen it performed but it's a great read with food for thought.

Shows the dangers of dating, stalking, and how one's life can be ruined overnight by trusting the wrong person. Also that our laws protecting women against stalkers and crazed men are completely ineffective. Scary.

EVERYONE should read this play - it is well written, and thoroughly frightening. It brings to light an uncomfortable situation (stalking) and increases the audience's awareness of how an innocent situation can turn into a dangerous one.

A great play about an issue that many women have likely experienced to some degree: stalking. The play also gives great advice on how to be more authoritative when ending a relationship (no matter how short in duration) with someone.

This was a disturbing play about a stalker. The blind-date-gone-bad is just one piece of it though. Gilman develops more fully a few other male characters to illustrate the complicated relationships between the sexes. There is a lot to discuss here.